Charm

To me the word "charm" has always had a sort of mystery behind it. When people try to describe it they just simply cannot. The word itself has a sort of charm to it when you say it. I am not sure why, but as soon as I read this word on the page it jumped out at me. Maybe it is because I have never truly been able to identify its meaning. What I mean is that I am able to say that some one has charm, but not fully able to understand what it is or why some one has it. It is that one characteristic that can draw in anyone and captivate everyone. Not only is it an attractive characteristic, but also a useful one.

King Henry V

King Henry V was born at Monmouth Castle; however his birth was not recorded because he was not considered to be the heir to the throne. He was the oldest of six children and the son of Henry IV. As he grew up with the same circumstances as a noble, he was trained in matrial skills, horseback riding, and hunting. He was also educated in subjects that his parents valued such as music, literature and language (Latin, French, and English.) His father was exiled for 10 years after reporting treasonous comments made by the Duke of Norfolk, and Henry V was kept as a hostage (although he was never called that) in the royal court. King Richard II was childless and had always been fond of Henry V so he knighted him himself. On October 13th 1399 Henry's father returned from exile and took the throne from Richard. Two days later Henry V was named the heir to the throne.

Wealtheow's Internal Monologue

At first I was angry at my brother for giving my hand in marriage to Hrothgar. But there is no use in being frustrated, this is my life now and I have to deal with it, so why not make the best of it. Sometimes these men are so brutish! They are always trying to get the upper hand on one another. Why don't they just leave Unferth alone! His accident with his brothers happened so long ago and it is obvious that he feels ashamed. I feel bad for him. All of these men have so much pride. It is sometimes difficult to deal with when they are all boasting about their victories and accomplishments! They all just expect me to wait on them like a servent. Well I guess that is what my life is now. I wish that I could speak up sometimes and tell them all to be quiet. It is not like I go around flaunting myself and talking about how much better I am than the other women. I would never do that. A woman must always keep the men happy in this tribe. Oh well, I guess God wanted it to be that way, so I must not question Him. Well, Hrothgar never listens to the priest when he talks about God. Does that mean that God does not exist? Why am I even thinking this? God will send me to Hell if I keep thinking these terrible thoughts. But what if the priest made it all up? Just to control everyone in the tribe and tell us all what is right and wrong? No, that is impossible. I really must stop thinking about this... I wonder what this Beast looks like who everyone talks about. He seems so scary. I do not understand why he is haunting our tribe! I wonder if he is lonely, what if he is just trying to befriend us. Oh listen to yourself, this is crazy! You are trying to justify the monster's actions when he comes into your husbands tribe and eats people! He really must be a terrible thing. Gosh I really should not worry myself with a man's problem. My only duty here is to take care of my husband and comfort him and his men. Obviously a woman has no other place in this tribe. If she did she would be out hunting with the men and fighting the monster and working! No, my job is to bear children and take care of my family. And if I were not the king's wife I would have to cook too! Thank God I am the king's wife.... that would be a meaningless life.

Mother: Coincidence or Not?

Although many have argued that there is a correlation between the word "mother" in most Western languages, this claim can easily be combated. For instance, we know that Mandarin has no connection to the Western languages yet, the word for mother is pronounced "ma." This is not a coincidence. The fact that almost every language has almost the same word for mother is because of "baby-talk." Baby-talk is basically the first and easiest sounds babies can and usually make. As for all of the similarities in words, one can simply blame the migration of people throughout history. However, through observation one can see the relationship between the developed term for "mother" in each language to be slightly changed to fit the accent or tone of each language. For instance the German other is harder in its pronunciation than the English mother : mutter verses mother, respectively.

Works Cited

     "Mama and Papa." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Sept. 2012. Web. 19 Sept. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mama_and_papa>.
     "Online Etymology Dictionary." Online Etymology Dictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2012. <http://etymonline.com/>.

Key Points in "The Women of Frankenstein" by William Veeder

First, Veeder addresses Shelly's confession that women are just as vulnerable as men, but they are "less weak." Veeder argues that throughout the book Shelly tries to defend womanhood and uses the characters Elizabeth, Justine, and Caroline as examples. Second, Veeder describes what he believes true womanhood to be which is " presented not as debilitatingly weak but as touchingly vulnerable." And third, Veeder states Shelly's description of what a true woman is: " not a 'feminine' weakness which destroys her but a radical purposiveness which releases her." At first, woman's role in Frankenstein seemed arbitrary, but after reading the criticism, one discovers and unperceived importance of women in Frankenstein. For instance, Justine's choice to confess to the murder she did not commit; Elizabeth's willingness to wait years to marry Victor until it is the right time for him; and Caroline's quest to take care of her father until his last breath and to also take in Elizabeth and treat her as her own daughter. All three of these woman portray strength and courage seemingly greater than Frankenstein's himself. While his mental state is easily thrown into disarray by the monster's existence, the woman also face traumatizing experiences that they handle with poise time after time.

Shelly's View of her Frankenstein

In the early stages of the creation of the monster, Shelly shows two different attitudes through her main character, Frankenstein. First she reveals a sort of delight through Frankenstein at the fact that he now possesses godlike powers, as he has figured out how to animate inanimate objects. From here, Frankenstein starts to recognize himself as a creator. He feels as though he is above other scientists of his time and strives for even more power. He does so by searching for a way to revive the dead; although he soon found this task to be impossible, it still shows his desire to be a godlike figure. This fantasy is also visible in the passage when he mentions the great joy it would bring him to be worshiped by his creations. In Ancient Greece, Frankenstein would have been described as a man with hubris.

            Shelly’s second stance is shown in the last paragraph of the passage where Frankenstein begins to realize how disgusting his endeavor actually is. It is as though he realizes how wrong everything he is doing is, but at the same time he cannot stop. He has an insatiable craving to see the results of his labor. Because of his craving, digging through graves and torturing animals to obtain pieces of his project did not seem to faze him. He was obsessed and therefore blinded by his wish for a perfect result. Frankenstein’s obsession causes him to make impulsive decisions; he does not take the time to consider all of the possible outcomes of his work. He only thinks about how things would turn out if they were to go his way. He did not even contemplate what his actual reaction to the beast would be. This passage is very important to the book overall because it demonstrates the extent of Frankenstein’s preoccupation. It gives the readers something to base the progression of his character on.

Frankenstein passage

A passage in Frankenstein that stood out to me was just after Frankenstein had created the monster. At this point, Frankenstein leaves his apartment for a long time, just leaving the monster in there. This passage stuck out to me because I was expecting Frankenstein to act as though the monster was his child, while instead, he ran from it as if it were, well, a monster. I found it very interesting that from this point on Frankenstein hates the beast when he is the one who created it. It is the product of years of non-stop work, and Frankenstein instantly despises it.

10 most memorable books I have ever read in no specific order

1. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein- I was very young, I do not know the specific age I started reading this book at. I remember the book to be very touching, in fact it always brought me to tears, even as a kid.
2. You are Not so Smart by David McRaney- I read this at 17 years old. It taught me so much about the human mind, and I think its contents are very important things to know about people in general.
3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee- I first read this book when I was 12 years old. This book gets better every time you read it. I love noticing things while reading this book that I didn't notice the time before.
4. The Harry Potter Books by J.K. Rowling- I first read these books when I was either 8,9, or 10 and ever since then I have been a huge fan. The books and movies http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2007/aug/02/new-statistical-analysis-confirms-human-role-in-climate-chan something that my entire family enjoys.
5. Animal Farm by George Orwell- I read this book when I was 12 years old. This is the first school book I really loved and its story has just stayed with me.
6. Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain- I read this book when I was 16, twice. This has been one of my favorite books ever. I love everything about it, the way it is written with the vernacular, and how it brings out so many controversial ideas and throws them at a child, Huck, who has so many internal fights with himself about what is right and wrong in the world he lives in.
7. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls- I read this book in 4th grade. I read it out loud to my mom and by the end of it we were both crying hysterically. The way that book was written made me feel as though I was the main character, and that feeling has stayed with me.
8. A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare- I read this book when I was 12 years old and it is memorable because it was the first Shakespeare I had ever read.
9. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Seuss- My mom used to read this book to me all the time when I was 4 years old.
10. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer- I read this book when I was 13 years old. I am ashamed of this but it was a big part of my as well as every other teenage girl's life for about a year, so it is very memorable.

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